Overview of the 2010 Steelers by the often insightful New York Times Fifth Down blog

2010 Steelers: What the Film Revealed

Offense

Ben Roethlisberger was the key. He and Michael Vick are the league’s only quarterbacks capable of consistently making a positive play when the defensive concept defeats the offensive concept (think of all the times you’ve seen Roethlisberger throw darts with defenders draped all over him). Roethlisberger’s receiving corps will be good for a long time. Mike Wallace emerged as a top-five-caliber wideout. Lankiness and long strides give him the league’s most punishing combination of speed and acceleration. The rookie Emmanuel Sanders, a quick receiver out of S.M.U., was Roethlisberger’s favorite target in spread formations by season’s end. Rashard Mendenhall proved a dangerous finesse runner who can also break tackles. It’s impressive that all these Steelers succeeded despite operating behind an offensive line that featured just two quality starters: C Maurkice Pouncey and LG Chris Kemoeatu (both mobile, astute run-blockers).

DefenseIt wouldn’t be wrong to say that everyone on Dick LeBeau’s defense was a star in 2010 except CB Bryant McFadden and DE Ziggy Hood. (For what it’s worth, McFadden was a decent starter; Hood had trouble anchoring and must improve his agility.) When Troy Polamalu was healthy, it was almost as if the Steelers were playing 12 on 11. Polamalu could freelance because the other 10 guys around him were rock solid. CB Ike Taylor was especially underappreciated.

Pittsburgh’s most important player might have been NT Casey Hampton. He was the primary reason teams couldn’t run against this front seven. Great as LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison were, it was inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons who really stood out. Timmons was the most dominant interior blitzer in football last season, and perhaps the league’s most athletic linebacker.

Myth Buster
3-4 defensive ends are just run anchors

For most teams, this is true. But for the Steelers, the defensive end position is where favorable defensive mismatches in the run game are created. Brett Keisel’s agility, more than his power, makes him a force. (This is also true for Aaron Smith…when he’s healthy.) Keisel creates congestion along the line of scrimmage primarily through lateral movement and penetration. Having this kind of mobility at defensive end gives LeBeau more variations in his scheme.

Something Positive

James Farrior was the fourth-best linebacker on the Steelers in 2010, but he would have been the best linebacker on several other teams. At age 36, Farrior continued to play at a breakneck pace. He may have been the best in the business at attacking blocks (notice it’s “attacking blocks”, not “taking on blocks”). His sharp instincts, as usual, allowed him to simplify his job.

I'm wondering how much film they looked at. As the season wore on, Hood got WAY better and Mcfadden got WAY worse. Mcfadden was "sort of solid (I hesitate to say solid because he was still picked on a lot and the source of a lot of bad plays)" the first half of the season but regressed tremendously in the second half, whereas Hood wasn't very impressive when he stepped in at first but over the last couple weeks and the playoffs he became the "unstoppable" Hood we kept hearing about in preseason.

mmmmkay.... so they put up the best defensive rushing stats in their history because hood had "trouble anchoring" ......

__________________“If tyranny and oppression come to this land it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.” ― James Madison

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." - Thomas Jefferson

"The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first." -Thomas Jefferson
"The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers." - Thomas Jefferson

The NY Times should stick to covering civil rights issues and the ACLU....not sports.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that everyone on Dick LeBeau’s defense was a star in 2010 except CB Bryant McFadden and DE Ziggy Hood.

Yes, it would be wrong to say. Last I checked, we only allowed teams to run for approximately 62 yards per game against us in 2010, and Ziggy was a HUGE part of that. When he first replaced Aaron Smith, the dropoff was VERY noticeable.

As the season went on, I found that I was no longer missing Aaron Smith so much.....Ziggy came on strong as the season wore on, and he also provided an added dimension to the pass rush that our DEs don't normally contribute.